Hailey Bieber is facing some legal issues.
The 25-year-old model is facing a lawsuit over her new skincare line called Rhode. She recently launched her company, which she chose to name after her very own middle name. It is a line of curated skincare essentials that have been made with thoughtful intention.
Soon after the launch, however, another company carrying the same name has desired to sue her and the brand for copyright infringement.
Fashion brand Rhode is claiming copyright infringement, saying that Hailey’s line “could easily wash away all the hard work they’ve put into their brand.”
Rhode NYC was founded back in 2013 by owners Puma Chateau and Phoebe Vickers, who are also claiming that Hailey’s Rhode logo is very similar to their own.
The Rhode clothing line released an additional statement to news outlets. Rhode lead litigation counsel Lisa T. Simpson said:
“It’s an unfortunate circumstance. We, of course, understand that Hailey wants to use her middle name for her brand, but the law on this is clear: You can’t create this kind of brand confusion just because you want to use your name.
What Ms. Bieber is doing is harming a minority co-owned business that two women have painstakingly built into a growing, global brand.”
Co-founders Khatau and Vickers stated that they were “forced” to sue “in order to protect our business,” explaining:
“While a global brand, we are still a young and growing company, and we cannot overcome a celebrity with Hailey’s following using our company’s name to sell related products.
We don’t want to sue Hailey; we want to celebrate her. As fellow women entrepreneurs, we wish her every success. Hailey has hard-earned star power and influence. She could choose any brand for her company. We have only the brand that we’ve built.”
